Conveying or delivering biscuits or like articles



Dec. 30, 1930. H KIRMAN ET AL CONVEYING OR DELIVERING BISCUITS OR LIKEARTICLES mm Y 1 0 a e V m 8%? w M s Z mm m A h H a 5. 1 6 v. I O B m w mJ w m \RFIIIIL I Dec. 30, 1930. H. KIRMAN ET AL 1,787,254

' CONVEYING OR DELIVERING BISCUITS OR LIKE ARTICLES Filed Jan; 28, 19302 Sheets-Sheet 2 mil rim? a Hill!- INVENII'ORS Herfiari Auma/z W TTORNEY Patented Dec, 30, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERBERT KIRMAN ANDeEoReE RALPH BAKER, 0E WILLESDE'N, ENGLAND, assIe oRs 'ro BAKER PERKINScoMrA'NY, INc.,. 0E SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, A coRroRA- 'IION OF NEW YORK ICONVEYING 0R DELIVE I G Rrscurrs 0R LIKE ARTICL S -.A.pplication filedJanuary 2 8,"193 0, Serial Ito. 424,121, and in- Great Britain lanuary30, 1928.

- spaced pans on a movlng conveyor, inbatches.

Although the invention is capable of application to other articles itwill be convenient to describe it with reference to the delivery ofbiscuits from a machine that cuts biscuit shapes from a continuous sheetof dough and cuit rows of each batch being arranged rela tively to oneanother atsuch'intervals as ma be demanded by baking conditions.

WVithin this main problem other problems are concerned. For examp'le,the speed of the travelof the ans through the oven must of course bevaried according to the nature of the biscuits to be baked. Therefore,synchronis'm must be effected between the deliv ery of the biscuits tothe pans and the travel of the pans in order to secure the properdisposition ofthe biscuits upon the pans.

The present invention introduces a new principle directed tothe'solution of the probof theoven pans.

lems involved. An object of the invention is toprovide an improvedmethod and means for controlling and adjusting the'spacing of thedelivered rows and batches in a simplified mannerand by the use ofrelatively inexpensive machinery.

Another object is to provide a biscuittrans fer apparatus that" affordsa great range or flexibility with respect to the spacing of the biscuitrows and the positioning and arrangement of the batches on the pans.

, According to the invention, as applied to the feeding of biscuits orthe like from a continuously operating cutting machine to a continuouslymoving oven conveyor, the rows of biscuits are formed into grou s orbatches after they leave the cutting mac inc and before they aredischarged onto the oven eonveyor.

The mvention also comprises means for acceleration or retardation ofthebiscuits after they are delivered row by row from the cutting machine inorder to suitabl alter the intervals between the rows as estahlished bythe cuttingmachine. Furthermore, the invention also provides means forsupplementary alteration of the spacing interval between the consecutiverows of biscuits in each batch. This is done by again acceleratmg orretarding them row by row as the batch is received upon the oven pan. Itis, therefore, possible to open but, close up, or copy the spacinginterval between the individual rows of biscuits as determined by thecutting machine. Thus any desired arrangement of biscuits upon the ovenconveyor may be secured. i i

A reciprocating cutting machine panner blade is employed as is customaryin machines of the character having a biscuit-carrying band thattransports biscuits away from the cuttlng machine to another endlesstravcling band, new with this invention, that o erates around a secondpanner blade. T no second band and blade are arranged to dischargeblscuits onto the usual series of continuously moving oven pans. Thelast mentlOIlGCl endless traveling band is arranged beneath the firstmentioned cutting machine panner blade and above the path of travel Incarrying the invention into effect suitable driving means are providedfor the oven conveyor. The cutting machine (not shown) is operatedsynchronously with the even conveyor, in known manner.

' 15 holding back the ner blade 2. a

The blade 2 is given a continuous reciprocation. The length of itsstroke is ordinarily half the length of. a batch of biscuits, al-'though in-certain cases this ratio may be varied. Blade 2 is mountedupon a wheeled carriage'3 having depending arms 4 connected by link 5 torocking beams 6 mounted upon a rock shaft 7 The link 5- is connected tothe beam 6 by-slidin block 8 fitted with an adjusting screw 9 w erebythe amplitude of the reci rocation of the carriage and of panner 5 bla e2 may be, varied. Between the vcutting machineblade 2 and the path ofthe oven pans is mounted another panner blade 10 (hereinafter referredto as.the transfer panner blade). V

()verlying the transfer panner blade 10 and co-operating with it in theusual way is a transfer band 11, the relative arrangement being suchthat the upper, horizontal conveying portion of band'll extends underthecu'tting machine blade 2, andits forward art slopes downwardlyandoverlaps the pat of the oven conveyor as shown in Fig; 1.

Means are provided for reciprocation of thepanner blade lO'after-thesame manner as those provided for the'reciprocation of cutting machineblade 2, that is, the transfer panner blade 10 is mounted upon awheeled. carriage 12 having depending arms '13 that V are connected bylink 14 to a sliding block 8a operating in .rockingbeam 6 on rock shaft7. Screw 15 provides means for adjusting the position of the pointofconnection of the links 14 on rockingbeam 6.

The length of stroke of the transfer pan- 4o ner blade 10 may be thesame as the length of stroke of the cutting machine blade 2. Preferablythefblade 2 makes a rearward biscuit delivery stroke while the transferpanner blade-10 is makin a forward stroke and elivery of biscuits, andvice versa. For that operation the pivotal connections of links 5 and14; with the rocking beam 6 are arranged on opposite sides of rock shaft7. v, i U The transfer band 11 is supported on a drivingroller 16,aguide roller 17 and on rollers 18 and 19 mounted on a reciprocating notonly of givin to the transfer band 11 a rate of travel orm with that ofthe oven conve or, but is also capable ofgiving the trans er band a'so-calle differential travel that consists of two alternating movementswhich may have a mean rate of travel equivalent to the rate of travel ofthe oven'conveyor.

chine, which are assumed to be synchronously The drive for roller 16 isby means of a chain 20, s rocket 21, suitablespur gearing 22 anda s aft23 and spocket 24, chain 25,

s rocket .26, gearing 27 and oven conyeyor sliaft 28.f Any increaseofspeed of the oven conveyor is thus copied by a corresponding variationin the travel of transfer band 11. By means of guide wheels 29 the chain20 is provided with oppositely disposed bights passing around wheels 30,31 on a horizon tallyv reciprocating block 32, slidable 111 ways 32a.

Block 32 is connected by a pivoted guide block 33 to a slotted lever 34pivoted at 35 to a fixed support. The upper end of lever. 34 isconnected by a link 36 to a rocking quadrant 37 keyed upon rock shaft7.The pivotal connection of the link 36 tothe quadrant 37'.

1 is such that it may be adjusted relatively to the axis f the rockshaft 7 and it may be 10- 35 cated as esired on either side of suchaxis.

. With link 36 adjusted to a position von 1 uadrant 37 below the axis ofthe shaft 7, as" e s own in solid lines in Fig. 1, a clockwise rockingof the shaft (corresponding to back- Ward movement of the transferpanner blade 10 and its carriage 12) moves the sliding f block .32 tothe left in Fig. 1, resulting in a' speeding up of thetransfer band 11.Rock-- ing the shaft counter-clockwise results in slowing down thetransferband 11.

If link 36. be adjusted to its mid-position,coinciding-with.the'axisfofthe rock shaft 7, block 32 will remainstationary and the move ment of the roller 16and.oflthej-transfer bandll will be uniform and continuous. b

It is now apparent'that rock shaft 7, during its oscillation, movescarriage 3 and its panner blade 2 back and forth audit-also "movescarriage 12 and itstransfer panner 6 blade 10 similarly, but in oppositesense. It is also apparent that rock shaft 7 imparts to roller 16 andtransfer bandll the non-uniform travel of differential movement abovealluded to, provided the pivotal connection of link 36 and quadrant 37is away from axial alinement withrock shaft 7. e

Oscillatory motion is imparted to the rock 7 shaft 7 .by a cam 38 onpower-'driven shaft 23, Cam 38 engages a roller 39 on an arm 40 connected to a crank arm 41 which is keyed to the rock shaft 7. The freeend of arm 40 is forked and rides over a roller 42 on shaft 23.

The mode of operation and the ,co-operative functions of theinstrumentalities above described will now be discussed.

The machine embodying the subject matter of this inventioni'soperatively interposed be tween the oven conveyor and the cutting ma- Idrivenfin known manner, not illustrated herein, because the specificconnections between.

the two are immaterial to the claimed inventlon, The oven conveyor ismoved continu-' ously and uniformly at any selected rate of 130 of theoven pans 43 in the same time that the oven pans advance a distanceequal to their pitch. Although the transfer band travels through thepitch distance of a pan in the same time as the oven conveyor movesthrough the same'distance, yet the actual speed of the transfer bandneed not be uniform, that is to say, the band referably has adifferential rate of travel 'c aracterized by two alternating speeds (e.g. a slow movement and a faster movement), in step with the respectivebackward or delivery strokes of the two blades 2 and 10.

Suppose the connection of link 36 to quadrant3 is positioned below therock shaft ,7. Each passage of the transfer band 11 through the pitchdistance of a batch will thus consist of a slower movement and a fastermovement, the slower movement coinciding with the backward or deliverymovement of the cutting machine blade 2, its speed approximating to therate of delivery of the biscuits from the cutting machine blade 2. Thatrate-may be the same as the rate of travel of the cutting machine band1.

If theslower differential movement of band 11 isspeeded up relatively tothe speed of band 1 by setting the pivot of link 36 on q'uadrant37closer to shaft 7, the spacing between rows will be widened as comparedwith the cutting machine spacing of biscuits on band 1; or a ain, theslower movement may be relatively ess than the rate of travel of thebiscuit band 1, in which case the intervals between rows as delivered topans 43 will be smaller than the spaces between rows on band 1.

The fast movement of band 11 over the pitch distance, takes place whilethe cutting machine blade 2 is moving forwardly to regain its deliveryposition and is preventing the transfer of biscuits from hand 1 to band11.

During the quicker movement of band 11 a greater length of transfer band11 passes beneath delivery blade 2 than during the slower movement. In.other words, the slower movement may traverse somewhat less than. halfthe pitch distance under cutting machine blade 2 while it is delivering,and somewhat more than half the pitch distance while-blade 2 is movingforward. Thus is attained .a' spacing interval between batches accordingto the panspacing arrangement.

As to the spacing between individual rows of biscuits, any considerableadjustment of this spacing is effected by adjusting the speed of thecutting machine conveyor 1 relatively to that of the oven conveyor. Forexample,

if it were desired to have the biscuits-spaced on the pans-at averageintervals twice those travel of the half the "average speed of transferband 11.

In additionftothis adjustment, however, as

explained earlier in this specification, the spacing. intervals betweenthe rows of a batch of biscuits delivered upon an oven pan 43 canbevaried by adjustment of the relative speeds that are im arted to thetransferband 11 dur-v I ing its di erential' periods of travel. That is,therowsofany one batch can be closed up 1 v or spread out, increasing ortaking from the free space between that batch and the following- Turningnowto the consideration of'th'e transfer'pannerblade 10 it reciprocatesin a opposite senseto the cutting machine blade 2, and in; consequence M'be delivering batches (produced by the cutting machine blade 2) whilethe latter is regaining its delivery position and is producin thespacing interval. As has been seen the and I1 travels at the slowerofits twospeeds while the cutting machine blade 2 is moving back anddelivering, this slower movement coinciding with the return or forwardstroke of the transfer pianner blade 10 and, correspondin ly, the uic orpart of the'movement takes p ace on t e deliverystroke or the transferpanner blade-10.

Because the mean rate of travel of the transfer band 11 approximates tothe rate of ans, the quicker, of the two speeds of ban 7 11 referred toabove will be relativel somewhat greaterthan the rate of travel 0 thepans durin the delivery stroke .of the transfer panner b ade 10. Hence,the backward movement of blade 10 com ensates "for the speed of band 11in excess of t e speed band 11. g

Having thus described'our invention, whatwe claim and desire to out is:v

1. In combination an oven having a continuously traveling conveyorcarrying pans, a band conveyor supplying rows- 0 biscuits from a cuttingmachine, a transfer band con veyor, means impartin movement thereto atalternating faster an slower eeds, said transfer band conveyor ositioned to receive biscuits from said supp y conveyor in rows rouped intohatches, a reciprocating panner lade cooperating with saidintermittently moving transfer band, said panner blade positioned todeliver said batches onto the pans of said oven conveyor, and means forimparting reciprocatory motion to said panner blade in synchronism withsaid alternating faster and slower movements of the transfer bandconveyor.

2. In combination, an oven having a continsecure by Letters Patbladepoo-operating iwlth sa dmtermltt'entl y in'the average speed Qf SaIdtransfer band conveyor is maintained at approximately that uouslytraveling conyeyor carrying baking 7 pans, aba'nd conveyor travelingcont nuously at a uniform speed supplying biscuits from acutting'machine, areciprocatin'gp'anner blade co -operatingtherexvith,atransfer band conveyor, means-imparting travel' thereto at I alternatelyfaster and 'slowe'r is peeds, s aid transfer band conveyor positioned toreceive I biscu ts from said supply conveyor 1n rows grouped into btt-hem reciprocating panne'r moving transfer band," said band'and'pannerblade arranged toideliver said 'batchesto the pans on the open conveyor,and means for im} parting reciprocatory motion to bothiof said panne-rbladesin synchronis'm with s'aid alteri i natm faster and slowermovements of the J trans fer band conveyor andln synchromsn witheachother but in op'posite sense;

3. A structure as set'fo'rth in claim -2 where r of said-oven,panfc'onveyor.

Intestimony wheeof, weaffix our signae HERBERTQKIRMAN.

; i GEORGE. RALPH BAKER. I

